The trans-fused tetrahydro derivative (I) of lovastatin was found by Patchett et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,844) to be a potent HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, and as such is an effective antihypercholesterolemic agent. The cis-fused adduct appears to have no antihypercholesterolemic activity. Patchett et al. disclose a catalytic hydrogenation procedure for preparing (I) ##STR1## from lovastatin. Thiss process involves hydrogenation over platinum oxide in ethyl acetate. However, the product formed, at best, is a mixture of 60% trans and 40% cis-tetrahydrolovastatin. The desired trans isomer could be isolated from this mixture only after silica gel chromatographic purification.
Sletzinger et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,389) improved on the trans/cis ratio in the reduction product mixture by using platinum on alumina as the hydrogenation catalyst. Using this catalyst the yield of trans-fused product was increased to 65-75%, however, this process also produced a partially reduced dihydro by-product which although present in small amounts (1-5%) was quite difficult to remove by either chromatography or crystallization.